With the exception of the west country and the northeast the latest (Sep 09) NBN map shows modern records
scattered throughout England and Wales, the only modern Scottish record is from the northeast (around Moray)
but the real distribution is likely to be more general; Joy gives simply 'Britain, local' while Fowler
quotes a few country-wide records from England (but not the west country) as well as Scottish records:
'Widely distributed... Solway, Tweed, Forth, Clyde, Tay and Moray'. This species is common and sometimes
abundant throughout our Watford area and, although not mentioned by
Alexander or included in any of the
various SQI(etc) listings as being associated with decaying or living timber, we feel obliged to write
from experience that a typical habitat is among or around fungi on damged or decaying wood in parkland,
wooded pasture or open woodland. This is a personal view and it must be added that we have also (often)
found them under logs in Whippendell wood. We have recorded adults as common during September and October
(each year since 2006) and they occur through the winter at least until late January. During September and
October 2006, along with thousands of other rove beetles, they were abundant among decaying, soaking wet and
strongly ammoniacal bracket fungi fruiting on dead Fagus roots on the borders of Westt Herts golf
course. Through the winter we often find them among samples taken from damaged bark etc around hard bracket
fungal fruiting bodies on various broadleaved trees (Aesculus, Fagus, Quercus etc); such samples
taken from a large and decrepit Salix in Cassiobury park contained the species each year between
2006 and 2008. This association is mentioned by Fowler, 'in decaying fungi, dead leaves, old faggots etc
(England)... in moss and decaying fungi(Scotland). Pitfalling in apparently suitable places eg around the
base of tree trunks, has so far failed to produce the species.

11-14mm. Body entirely black or very dark with the reflexed elytral margins testaceous, this is usually
visible from above at the shoulders. Head very shiny black, without obvious microsculpture (X10). Eyes
occupying about half the side of the head, temples curved and gently contracted to a transverse impression
before a short neck (sometimes hidden by the pronotum) and with fine black forwardly recumbent setae.
Vertex with two setiferous punctures close to inner margin of eyes and two in front of basal depression,
otherwise impunctate. Labrum bilobed. Palps testaceous, last segment as long as penultimate. Madibles long
and curved. Antennae mounted on raised anterior margin of clypeus between outer margin of mandibles;
segments 1 and 2 and sometimes base of 3 testaceous, remainder dark. Segments 1-3 elongate, 4-10 quadrate
or a little elongate. Pronotum shiny black and without microsculpture (X10), evenly rounded and bordered
to almost perpendicular front angles. Anterior margin not bordered. With three setiferous punctures either
side of middle in anterior half, the first very near the front margin, also a few between this series and
the front angles and some smaller punctures near the lateral and basal margins. Scutellum shiny and
impunctate. Elytra more or less qudrate, finely and evenly punctate and pubescent, with two long setae on
lateral margin behind shoulder and a few shorter ones posterior to these. Abdomen black with a strong
metallic blue or bronze lustre, gently tapering and somewhat rounded laterally, margins strongly raised.
Moderately densely punctured, a liyyle less so towards apex. Legs dark or a little lighter at base of
tibiae and tarsi, tarsi sometimes entirely pale. Tarsi 5-5-5. Protarsi dilated in both sexes. First
segment of meso and metatarsi hardly longer than last. Claws proportionately small and fine, weakly
curved and with a very weak tooth at base.
[Male with the seventh sternite strongly and angularly sinuate in the middle of apical margin, with a
broad smooth longitudinal impression before sinuation, sixth slightly sinuate- Fowler]